Vaccine Therapy in Treating Patients With Unresected Stage III or Stage IV Melanoma

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Histologically confirmed primary cutaneous or unknown primary melanoma, including 1 of the following stages:

  • Stage IIIB or IIIC disease

    • Unresected, in-transit lymph node metastases (N2c or N3)

  • Stage IV disease

    • Distant skin, subcutaneous, lymph node, or pulmonary metastases (M1a or M1b)

      • No cerebral, bone, or other visceral metastases

• At least 1 measurable or evaluable lesion

  • Small-volume multiple cutaneous deposits allowed

• Progressive disease, as defined by 1 of the following criteria:

  • At least 20% increase in size in ≥ 1 measurable or evaluable lesion
  • Appearance of ≥ 1 new lesion since or during last treatment (if applicable) AND within the past 3 months

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age

• 18 and over

Performance status

• ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy

• At least 6 months

Hematopoietic

• WBC ≥ 3,000/mm^3
• Platelet count ≥ 100,000/mm^3
• Hemoglobin ≥ 10.0 g/dL (transfusion allowed)

Hepatic

• SGOT and SGPT ≤ 2.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
• Lactic dehydrogenase normal
• No active hepatitis B or C infection

Renal

• Creatinine ≤ 1.5 times ULN

Immunologic

• No history of autoimmune disease

  • Vitiligo allowed
• No history of immunodeficiency syndrome
• No active bacterial, viral, or fungal infection within the past 72 hours
• HIV-1 or -2 negative
• Human T-cell lymphotrophic virus-I or -II negative

Other

• Not pregnant or nursing
• Negative pregnancy test
• Fertile patients must use effective contraception
• No other malignancy within the past 5 years except adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
• No contraindication to apheresis
• No other significant medical or surgical condition that would preclude study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy

• No prior vaccine therapy with ≥ 1 melanoma antigen or peptide
• More than 4 weeks since prior biologic therapy

Chemotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior chemotherapy (6 weeks for nitrosoureas)

Endocrine therapy

• No concurrent chronic systemic corticosteroids

Radiotherapy

• More than 4 weeks since prior radiotherapy

Surgery

• Not specified

Other

• More than 4 weeks since prior investigational products
• More than 4 weeks since prior chronic systemic immunosuppressive treatment
• No concurrent medication or treatment regimen that would prelude study participation
• No other concurrent anticancer treatment
• No other concurrent immunosuppressive treatment